Jerry Douglas Case, right, will appear before U.S. Magistrate David Keesler in Charlotte today where Case will be formally informed that he is being charged with four counts of kidnapping under federal statutes. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. A North Carolina prison parolee involved in a shootout with Cherokee County Sheriff's Department deputies July 18 will make an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate in Charlotte, N.C., today.

Jerry Douglas Case, 52, had been a patient at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center since his July 18 capture. He was released from the hospital Tuesday and taken into federal custody.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina, Case will be informed of federal kidnapping charges against him during his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate David Keesler at 2:30 p.m. in Charlotte. A preliminary determination on his custody status will be made during the hearing.

The federal kidnapping charges stemmed from an incident that began July 17 when Case allegedly kidnapped four people from a fishing spot near Belmont, N.C., and forced them to drive him around in their car.

The four included a 71- year-old grandfather, his 28- year-old daughter and her two children, including a nine-month-old infant.

They escaped when Case had them stop at the Kangaroo convenience store near Exit 96 of Interstate 85. They called police as soon as they were able to get away.

Cherokee County Sheriff's Department deputies tracked Case to a swampy area near the interstate. The local officers exchanged fire with Case, who reportedly was struck twice, after Case shot at them with a pellet pistol that looked like a conventional firearm.

One member of the tracking team pursuing Case sustained a graze to his leg when a pellet ripped through his thick, protective pants.

Three law enforcement agencies were weighing charges against Case, as the kidnapping incident began in Gaston County, N.C., crossed state lines and ended in Cherokee County.

Last Friday, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Case was being charged with four counts of kidnapping under federal law. Those charges carry the possibility of a life prison sentence.

Case also will face two charges in Cherokee County for assault and battery with intent to kill a police officer and assault with intent to kill a police officer.

Federal authorities said the local charges will be resolved after the federal court proceedings have concluded.

Case previously spent time on North Carolina's death row for kidnapping and killing a taxi driver. His conviction was overturned and he subsequently was re-sentenced to life imprisonment. He was paroled in 2008, according to North Carolina prison records.